Lansing climate

Lansing Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Wheeling, 5.7 km from Lansing, elevation 645 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Wheeling. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

The last spring freeze typically comes around April 20 and the first fall freeze around October 29, a growing season of about 192 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 30, first October 18
Median at 32°F
last April 20, first October 29
Median at 28°F
last April 6, first November 9

Last freeze in spring

The chance of a later freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one spring in ten still freezes after the date; planting after the 10 percent date for 32°F is the cautious choice.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FMay 17May 11May 6May 3Apr 30Apr 28Apr 25Apr 21Apr 17
32°FMay 6Apr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 20Apr 17Apr 15Apr 11Apr 5
28°FApr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 6Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 25
24°FApr 9Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11
20°FMar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 18Mar 15Mar 12Mar 9Mar 6Feb 28
16°FMar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 20Feb 12

First freeze in fall

The chance of an earlier freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one fall in ten freezes before the date.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 5Oct 9Oct 13Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 31
32°FOct 15Oct 19Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 10
28°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 22
24°FNov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 6
20°FNov 13Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 2Dec 5Dec 9Dec 15Dec 24
16°FNov 28Dec 2Dec 7Dec 12Dec 17Dec 23Dec 27Dec 31Jan 7

Growing season length

Days between the last spring and first fall freeze at each threshold, with the chance of a season at least that long.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F189183178174169165161156148
32°F211205200196192188183178170
28°F236230225220216212209204196
24°F262254248243240235230226220
20°F288280273266262256251245239
16°F311302296291287281276269261

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder
100% of years
32°F or colder
100% of years
28°F or colder
100% of years
24°F or colder
100% of years
20°F or colder
100% of years
16°F or colder
100% of years

Degree days

A degree day is one degree of the daily mean temperature beyond a base, for one day. Heating degree days count cold (the fuel a house burns), cooling degree days heat, growing degree days the warmth a crop needs; each crop has its own base.

Heating degree days, base 65°F
5,260
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
950
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,805
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,554
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,443
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,468
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,637

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,07904
February91105
March760135
April3956149
May15259378
June22182610
July1293756
August2270733
September52124523
October31814201
November639041
December92908

What this means

NOAA computes these from the daily lows at the station over 1991-2020, fitting the dates of each year's last and first freeze to a distribution, so a date can be stated at any level of risk. 36°F is a frost risk for tender plants on a clear, calm night, since the ground cools below the air above it; 32°F is a freeze; 28°F is a hard freeze that kills most annuals.

The station is 5.7 km from Lansing. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

More

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00469482 (Wheeling). Public domain.